Glastonbury Abbey

Oblate Steering Committee Minutes

December 11, 2007
November 13, 2007
October 9, 2007
September 6, 2007
August 14, 2007
July 10, 2007
June 14, 2007

Oblate Steering Committee
Minutes – December 11, 2007

Present: Abbot Nicholas, Dan Buckley, Carolyn Carpenter, John Daoust

Fr. Nicholas opened the meeting with prayer at 7:05 PM.

The November meeting minutes were reviewed and accepted without modification. Appreciation was mentioned for the humor that was interjected into them.

OSC Ballots for January 2008 meeting: Two versions were presented and it was decided to use Paul's version. There is one amendment to the ballot: Kathy Cipriano has withdrawn from the list. Ballots will be passed out to ensure that only Oblates vote. Carolyn will ask Paul to run enough copies of his ballot for the January 8 Oblate meeting.

Review of the December Oblate meeting: There was positive sharing and folks definitely stayed longer for fellowship.

A thank you in advance to Paul for agreeing to reproduce the Oblate Handbook once it is completed. Carolyn has all the materials and will get final copy to Paul to be run.

We now have three speakers for the January Oblate meeting: Maura Prouty, Kathy Cipriano and Tom Gorman. John and Paul continue to fill out the remaining speakers needed for February (2 confirmed; need 1 more) and April (1 confirmed; need 2 more).

Day of Recollection: Karin to contact Sister Donald about her availability. In the event Sister Donald is unavailable, Karin has indicated she has other leads.

Flower Show: One person contacted Abbot Nicholas directly at the December meeting. Others have also indicated interest in assisting at the event. Abbot Nicholas may have more information that we can share at the January meeting.

Other meeting dates reviewed and chosen are:

            February 5 - Oblates                            February 12 - Steering Committee
            March 4 - Oblates                                March 11 - Steering Committee
            April 1 - Oblates                                  April 8 - Steering Committee
            May 4 - Day of Recollection                 May 6 - Steering Committee
            June 3 - Oblates                                   June 10 - Steering Committee

The two remaining Communion Breakfasts are March 9 and June 22.

Dan moderates the January meeting; Carolyn moderates the February meeting; John moderates the March meeting; Carolyn moderates the March communion breakfast; Paul moderates the April meeting; Karin moderates the Day of Recollection in May; Dan moderates the June meeting; John moderates the June communion breakfast.

At the March OSC meeting, we will begin organizing the Annual Survey that will be mailed out in April to ensure a decent return before the summer break. In addition, we will review the structure of officers.

New Business: Abbot Nicholas received email regarding the North American Association of Benedictine Oblate Directors. He will register our group's membership ($25), he will serve as the main contact, and he will sign up the Steering Committee members as the associate directors of the program. The NAABOD meets every other year; perhaps we will send a delegate to the next meeting. Oblates are also eligible to attend the meeting. The website for this group is: www.NAABOD.org.

Prayer: Mention was made that if Oblates want to share prayer concerns for specific people, that is acceptable with the caveat that the request be brief and that it be for individuals. Posted at the Abbey Church at both entrances are signs on which people can also ask for prayer requests.

Oracle: kudos to John as the Oracle writer, an unsung hero!

Abbot Nicholas shared that he is happy with how the Steering Committee is managing the Oblate Program.

The meeting ended at 7:30 PM. The next Steering Committee meeting is scheduled for January 15th at 7 PM.

Respectfully submitted,
Carolyn C. Carpenter

Oblate Steering Committee
Minutes – November 13, 2007

Present: Abbot Nicholas, Dan Buckley, Carolyn Carpenter, John Daoust, Karin King and Paul Nyce

Fr. Nicholas opened the meeting with prayer at 7:00 PM.

The agenda and October minutes were distributed by Paul Nyce via email (hardcopy was also provided at this meeting). The October minutes were then reviewed and accepted without modification.

Dan reviewed the nomination results. There are seven (7) candidates: Sally Pineau, Maura Prouty, Kathy Cipriano, Tom Gorman, Pat Tighe, Louise DeSantis-Deutsch, and Dotty Green. An election ballot for January’s meeting will be drawn up by Paul Nyce for review in the December 11th OSC meeting.

The November meeting of Oblate Sharing was reviewed positively by all. It was suggested that the brave Oblates who shared should be thanked profusely in the next Oblate Oracles.

Carolyn distributed the latest proof set of the handbook and a list of what was still needed. Getting material to her from other members of the OSC has been likened to herding cats. For Carolyn it just means an additional jewel in her crown.

Paul reviewed the current list of who has volunteered for future Oblate Sharing sessions. There are presently two signed up for January, two for February and one for April.

Carolyn, who is the moderator for the December meeting, was asked to make a pitch about the Oblate Sharing opportunities, the March flower show volunteer opportunities, and a reminder concerning the January OSC elections.

Karin was given contact information on Sister Donald by the Abbot and will contact her about her availability.

Under New Business, the Abbot said he would make sure we had some regular and diet soda as well as coffee for the December social. Carolyn suggested that we have a “book sampler” on display to tempt the unsuspecting Oblate...in a good way, of course.

The meeting ended at 7:33 PM, with the Abbot remarking about a “well-oiled machine.” The next Steering Committee meeting is scheduled for December 11th at 7 PM.

Respectfully submitted,
Paul G. Nyce

Oblate Steering Committee
Minutes – October 9, 2007

Present: Abbot Nicholas, Dan Buckley, Carolyn Carpenter, John Daoust and Paul Nyce

Fr. Nicholas opened the meeting with prayer at 7:00 PM.

The agenda and September minutes were distributed by Paul Nyce via email (hardcopy was also provided at this meeting). The September minutes were then reviewed and accepted without modification.

Carolyn distributed “proof copies” of the Oblate Handbook. There are still items that need to be contributed. An official commendation for “fine work” is placed in these minutes to the editor-in-chief Carolyn.

Dan distributed Oblate Mentors list that he had modified. This was accepted and passed on to Carolyn for inclusion. Copies were then to be made available at the November Oblate meeting.

It was decided that John would seek people to share for the January and April meetings and Paul for the February meeting. It was also decided that if we have more volunteers than can be accommodated that people could also talk at the communion breakfasts.

On the potential Saturday meetings, there has been no contact to date between the organizer of these proposed meetings and the Abbot.

The November nomination sheet distributed by Paul was reviewed and approved. Paul will present this before the talks at the November meeting for which he is moderator. Paul will also mention the Oblate Mentor list.

Under new business, the Abbot mentioned that Jean Manners may be interested in rides to meetings. Paul responded he lives close to Jean and would be willing to give her a ride if she desired. Paul will contact her.

The Abbot mentioned that we should review the Oblate meetings at these Steering Committee meetings as part of the normal business. An official commendation for “fine presentation” was then, by general acclamation, placed in these minutes. (Of course, these two items are entirely independent of each other!)

The meeting ended at 8:00 PM. The next two Steering Committee meetings are scheduled for November 13th and December 11th at 7 PM.

Respectfully submitted,
Paul G. Nyce

Oblate Steering Committee
Minutes – September 6, 2007

Present: Abbot Nicholas, Dan Buckley, Carolyn Carpenter and Paul Nyce

Fr. Nicholas opened the meeting with prayer at 7:00 PM.

The agenda was distributed by Paul Nyce (produced from the August 14th minutes). The August 14th minutes were then reviewed and accepted. Paul suggested he could send out the agenda and minutes via email before the next meeting.

Dan brought up the reaction to the idea of a photo directory that occurred at the last Oblate meeting. After some discussion, it was decided that there should be no photo directory for now. Additionally, there was inquiry at the last meeting about who the presenter would be for the Day of Recollection. Fr. Nick said he would send information about Sr. Donald Corcoran to Karin.

Moderators were chosen for the rest of the Oblate calendar year. These are:

October – John
October Communion Breakfast – Dan
November - Paul
December – Carolyn
January – Dan
February – Carolyn
March – John
March Communion Breakfast – Carolyn
April – Paul
May – Karin (Day of Recollection)
June – Dan
June Communion Breakfast - John

Discussion on what items were needed to be sent to Carolyn to update the Oblate handbook followed. Abbot Nick, it appears, has a few items to work on. These are:

Reworked document on the process of becoming an Oblate. Items B), C) and D) need tweaking.
Cursus of the Psalms
New introductory letter
An updated Who’s Who at the Abbey

Paul was to work on a nomination ballot for the next meeting, classifying people according to eligibility.

Dan gave an update on filling in the slots for Oblates willing to share. We already had Louise DeSantis-Deutsch signed up for November. Dorothy Keville and Kevin McCullagh have agreed to join Louise to fill out the three November slots. Dan then asked for John to help arrange people for the January meeting, Paul for the February meeting, and Dan for the April meeting.

The meeting ended at 8:00 PM. The next Steering Committee meeting is scheduled for October 9th at 7 PM.

Respectfully submitted,
Paul G. Nyce

Oblate Steering Committee
Minutes – August 14, 2007

Present: Abbot Nicholas, Dan Buckley, John Daoust and Paul Nyce

Fr. Nicholas opened the meeting with prayer at 7:00 PM.

The agenda was distributed by Paul Nyce (produced from the July 10th minutes). The July 10th minutes were then reviewed and accepted.

All members present praised the work done by Carolyn Carpenter to outline changes in the Oblate Manual. Her review was used as an item-by-item guide through the current manual, noting what needed attention and who was responsible for the new material. The committee will ask Carolyn to be a central repository for updated information and to produce a master copy to be then sent to the Abbey for mass production. Dan and Paul volunteered to help if Carolyn desires so.

Moderators were “volunteered” for the first quarter of meetings and the Communion Breakfast. Karin, once she accepts, will moderate the September meeting, John the October meeting, Dan the October Communion Breakfast and the December meeting. Paul will moderate the November meeting. Future moderators will be assigned for the Jan/Feb/Mar meetings at the September OSC meeting.

Also added to the Oblate Calendar were some business items. Specifically: November meeting - Nominations will be voted upon for the Oblate Steering Committee, January meeting - Voting will take place on the OSC nominees, April meeting - Notification of the mailing of the Annual Oblate Program Survey It was decided that placing these items on the Oblate Calendar will continually remind members of these important business matters. Additionally, the Oblate Calendar was also updated with specific dates for the Communion Breakfasts. These were determined by Karin King in consultation with Joan Buckley.

Under the “new business” category, Abbot Nicholas brought to the committee’s attention a recently received Oblate Program Survey from an Oblate who, due to work circumstances, finds difficulty in making the regular meetings. In the Survey, she requested the option to meet Saturday mornings as a small group. She suspects a few other Oblates have similar problems that preclude regular attendance and proposes to organize this Saturday program. This request was brought to the Abbey Council and, at this meeting, to the OSC. The reaction was favorable from both bodies. The Abbot has taken the matter under advisement and will follow up with the member’s proposal.

The meeting ended at 8:15 PM. The next Steering Committee meeting is scheduled for September 6th at 7 PM.

Respectfully submitted,
Paul G. Nyce

Oblate Steering Committee
Minutes – July 10, 2007

Present: Abbot Nicholas, Carolyn Carpenter, Dan Buckley, and Paul Nyce

Fr. Nicholas opened the meeting with prayer at 7:35 PM.

The minutes were reviewed and accepted with a few minor corrections.

Carolyn distributed a template for the Communion Breakfasts. Only the dates need to be filled in. She also distributed the Oblate Calendar for 2007-8 as known to date. Again many items need to be filled in.

Dan distributed hardcopies of the spreadsheet of Oblates, Novices and Observers for review. He was asked to summarize the results of the surveys. In bullet format –

General reaction: very positive, with many relaying a kind of “new year’s resolution” to do better (at attendance and participation)
Three members opted out completely
Eight members indicated a desire for “non-active” status but wanted to “stay in touch”
Thirty (of the 54) Oblates who responded indicated the desire to be fully active.
Some anecdotal feedback: desire for more Oblate sharing, review of catechism

There was general agreement that the return rate for the survey was “excellent”. Following on this the Abbot suggested that we repeat this survey on an annual basis and not have a sign-in for the meetings.

The committee agreed that the survey should be distributed every April and would use the same format as this year – sending it out from the Abbot in the mail with a return envelope.

The idea of a small “administrative fee” payable by Oblates to help defray costs of the program to the Abbey was raised. The Abbot was emphatic in his response – “...not for a moment.”

It was suggested and the committee agreed that nominations for Steering Committee elections should be held in November with a vote to be conducted in January.

The question of how the Steering Committee could contribute to the Strategic Planning process of the Abbey, specifically the item brought up at the June, 2007 Steering Committee meeting, was asked. The Abbot gave the background for the request. Specifically, the Abbot mentioned the need to determine the type of relationship certain groups, such as the Oblates, should have with the Abbey, consistent with the Abbey’s mission and vision statements. More information will be forthcoming but for now this should be viewed as being in a “percolation phase.”

Several more potential topics for oblate sharing were suggested. The three suggested last month were: 1) care for the sick, 2) observance of lent, and 3) instruments of good works. To this the following were added: 4) restraint of speech (silence), 5) prayer/lectio practices, 6) caring for the old and/or young, 7) use of time (the Rule provides a Horarium – what do Oblates do?), and 8) leadership roles (Abbot, Cellarer, Novice Master, etc. – what are possible Oblate leadership roles?)

On the Oblate Handbook, each Steering Committee member was asked to evaluate their handbook copies and come to the August meeting prepared to work on updating the notebook.

The meeting ended at 8:30 PM.

The next Steering Committee meetings are scheduled for August 14th and September 6th at 7 PM.

Respectfully submitted,
Paul G. Nyce

Oblate Steering Committee
Minutes – June 14, 2007

Present: Abbot Nicholas, Carolyn Carpenter, Karin King, Dan Buckley, and Paul Nyce

Fr. Nicholas opened the meeting with prayer. He then spoke of the need to elect officers for the committee, namely a Chair, Vice-Chair and Recorder.

Dan Buckley distributed a list of suggested duties attached to each office. This was reviewed and all present seemed to give assent to its completeness. Karin expressed the concern that all members be heard and given the opportunity to serve in ways that might not be encapsulated in the official duties. All agreed.

Elections were held by blind ballot with the Abbot tallying. The results of elections are:

Chair: Dan Buckley
Vice-Chair: Carolyn Carpenter
Recorder: Paul Nyce

It was agreed that, if willing, John Daoust should continue to write the Oblate Oracle for the monthly newsletter and web site.

The committee then turned its attention to the 2007-8 Oblate Calendar. The dates for the meetings are: Sep. 4, Oct. 2, Nov. 6, Dec. 4, Jan 8 (note this is the second Tuesday), Feb. 5, Mar. 4, Apr. 1, May 6 (traditionally replaced by the Day of Recollection), and June 3. Additionally, Communion Breakfasts were proposed for October, 2007, March 2008, and June 2008. Karin, volunteering to chair the “Social Subcommittee” (created on the spot) said she would coordinate with Joan on the dates for the Communion Breakfasts.

Building on discussions held in last year’s Steering Committee, ideas were put forth regarding the schedule for next year. Rather than a book, it was suggested that having sessions where willing members share their “Oblate stories” would represent a positive change in the meeting formats.

The proposed 2007-8 schedule by month, after some discussion and still subject to modification, is:

September – Oblation ceremony & Social
October – Abbot Nicholas speaking at meeting, Communion breakfast during month
November – Oblate sharing
December – Shared Lectio & Social
January – Oblate sharing
February – Oblate sharing
March – Brother Dan speaking at meeting, Communion breakfast during month
April – Oblate sharing
May – Day of Recollection (no regular meeting)
June – Shared Lectio & Social, Communion breakfast during the month
It was suggested that the Abbot speak of “something foundational” for his talk in October. It was also suggested that we keep Fr. Tim “on reserve” should we need to substitute “Oblate sharing” with “Monk talk”.

Carolyn volunteered to produce the flyers for the Communion breakfasts.

Discussion was had on the Day of Recollection. Abbot Nicholas recommended Sr. Donald Corcoran, OSB, Cam. (She is the Prioress at Transfiguration Monastery in Windsor, NY, a Camaldolese House.)

Karin suggested that we put the selection on hold until next month to allow other names to emerge. She also suggested we try to find a lay Oblate from another Oblate group. The Abbot noted that St. Gregory’s in Portsmouth, RI has an Oblate group.

Discussion ensued on a theme for next year. It was suggested that “parts of the Rule”, such as 1) care for the sick, 2) observance of lent, and 3) instruments of good works, might be appropriate.

Dan reported that there is good feedback coming in from the surveys. The Abbot is continually handing off packs of these to Dan. Only two members to date have asked to be removed.

We officially voted on the duties of the officers (the sheet distributed by Dan). There was unanimous approval with the slight modification that the recorder prompts the chair to “end the meeting on time”.

It was suggested prior to this meeting that the regular meetings end 15 minutes earlier (about 8:45 PM) so that some socializing can occur before the building is locked up. This was agreed to by everyone. The Abbot indicated that the Steering Committee could take on the responsibility of locking the conference center.

It is also suggested (and all agreed) that we start the nomination/election process for the Steering Committee a lot earlier next year.

Next month we will choose moderators for the first few meetings. Karin volunteered to take the May Day of Recollection meeting. Carolyn will bring a flyer to the September meeting for the October Communion Breakfast. The Abbot will make an effort to bring over the monthly newsletter to each regular meeting of the Oblates.

The Abbot brought up the following request for the Steering Committee members: the Abbey is undergoing strategic planning and as part of this they have as a goal to examine all the apostolates to which the Abbey is committed (goal #2). Strategy number 5 is related to this and states “Continue to strengthen the Oblate program of Glastonbury Abbey by defining the unique place it has and the role it plays among the various groups of laity diversely associated with the Abbey.” This is a task for the Abbot but he is asking the Steering Committee for input.
Carolyn mentioned that we have a need to update the Oblate handbook. Everyone agreed but the hour was late and Karin was eyeing the recorder to implement the “prompt the Chair to end on time” clause.

The next Steering Committee meetings are scheduled for July 10th, August 14th and September 6th.

Respectfully submitted,
Paul G. Nyce